


find me in the Dark

by WhenWeAllFall_Asleep



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Camelot (Once Upon a Time), Dark Emma Swan, Dark One Emma Swan, Endgame Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, F/F, Other, Rewrite, The Dark One (Once Upon a Time)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:02:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29530275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhenWeAllFall_Asleep/pseuds/WhenWeAllFall_Asleep
Summary: - she had remained placid and unmoving and ever sogratefulto be with her family, and that had helped. Her white dress the colour of fresh snow and lilies and(emptiness), the one that she looked at with disdain and disgust, but had made her appear, well, like herself.The self she was before that is. The one they liked.Her curled blonde locks were nice as well. They were glad, glad she hadn’t changed.On the outside that is. They didn’t seem to care about the inside.All she had to do was smile, and they wouldn’t notice how notoneemotion reached her eyes.Really, Emma wasn’t grateful for their love. She was grateful for how she could use it.Regina collapsed to her knees and sobbed.The Dark One tilted back her head and laughed.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. Illusions

Camelot was a majestic kingdom. Tall turrets, spiralling towers, all ballgowns and chandeliers. Gold plated doors, sweeping arches, all stone and sparkles. An invisible barrier surrounded its perimeter, a creation of Merlin’s design, shining slightly if the light hit it at the right angle. 

“It’s right out of a fairy tale.” He said.

“We will be safe here.” She said.

“It's the solution to all our problems.” They said.

But if you look a little closer, as Emma Swan did, you can see the cracks in the mirage. Broken mirrors in every room, tapestries torn in the corners. Shattered glass and empty glasses. Fading fabrics, wilting flowers. A broken clock tower.

No, Camelot was not perfect. It may seem that way to her family, but the Dark One knew better.

Camelot had stood for 1000 years, the great sorcerer Merlin allowing the kingdom the gift of time. As he stood proudly in their courtyard, branches swaying in the wind, Emma smiled to herself. 

They had made a mistake letting her in.

…

After a couple of weeks, they had developed a routine amongst the library of Camelot. Merlin had spent decades, centuries, collecting knowledge from across the realm to store in his personal library. Magical items, spells, ingredients for potions, ancient texts, covered the shelves lining the stone walls. It was bliss for Regina, who’s own vault looked rather dull in comparison to Merlin’s.

It was a quiet afternoon. The seven of them left free to roam the library. Snow and David sat together at a table, coffee-coloured scrolls littering the surface. Leroy, Robin and the pirate were wandering the shelves, as they had been for the past half-hour. Regina and Emma were in a secluded spot in the corner, each reading silently, the most concentrated of the lot. 

A yawn sounded from the other side of the room. They all looked up, at Henry, whose hand was clamped over his mouth. Regina chuckled as he blushed, and turned back to her book. 

As she did, she met Emma’s eyes. Regina smiled, but Emma looked down, eyes flitting across the pages. The queen sighed.

Regina tried to go back to reading, but she had lost her focus. She looked around the room and got distracted by a small bird outside the only window in the room. The light streaming in cast its shadow across a pile of books, it’s soft tapping with its beak sounding throughout the empty spaces between shelves.

“I’m going to get some air.” She said as she stood up and brushed the dust off her dress. “I think we all should.”

Snow nodded, and they all headed to the courtyard, except for Emma.

“Regina, wait.”

She turned, confused. “Come on; we’ve been in here for hours.”

“I know, it’s just-” The blonde’s eyebrows knitted together, lips slightly open. “I think I finished it.”

“What did you finish?” Regina kept her voice steady, but after being cooped up so long, she hadn’t realised how much she missed fresh air. Emma needed to get outside as well; she had been studying harder than all of them. With good reason.

“The spell,” Emma stated, meeting Regina’s eyes. “I know how to free Merlin.”

The queen gaped at her. “What do you mean? We-, we’re barely halfway through.” They hadn’t even finished the list of ingredients. 

Emma slid her book across the table, as well as some parchment she had been writing on. “It’s all here.”

Regina picked up the parchment gently, hands slightly shaking. If Emma really had managed to find a spell…

“We can free Melin, and save you.” The blonde nodded. Regina exhaled, heart beating faster with anticipation and anxious relief. 

They finally had a chance to turn Merlin back into a human, and a chance to destroy the darkness in Emma Swan. 

A smile broke out on Regina’s face, Emma matching her expression. They ran to the courtyard to break the news. 

… 

The spell took about two days to prepare. It was relatively simple, was really only tossing some ingredients into a pot. But it required an odd fungus, one only found outside the borders of Camelot. Arthur and David had gone on a short quest to find it, and Regina had begun the preparations.

Her, Emma and Leroy lugged the pot down the stairwell, catching curious looks from the other nobles of the castle. The water inside sloshed about, and by the time they placed it beside Merlin’s tree, the cauldron was half empty. Regina waved a hand, and it was full again.

With Henry and Emma’s help, they began to create the spell. As each new ingredient landed in the liquid, the water turned from purple to pink to a deep, deep blue. With a final snap of her fingers, the liquid caught on fire. 

She exhaled shakily, only one thing left to do. The three of them took a step back, faces solemn but hopeful. Dusk had fallen, a time many nobles preferred to take their evening walks, so Snow and the others were focused on crowd control. Even Arthur had wanted to watch, but Emma had insisted that the Kingdom’s residents stay away. It could be dangerous.

Regina was grateful for that. The spell itself wasn’t actually harmful, but Regina had to be wholly focused on the last step for it to work. Inquiring and ignorant citizens of Camelot would do her no good.

Snow, David, Leroy, Robin and Killian returned, the courtyard now clear of any other people. They stood side-by-side with Emma and Henry. Regina began to mutter the spell’s final words, standing a couple metres away.

_From bark to bone, from leaves to skin. ___  
_From wind to breath, from branch to chin. ___

She muttered the words over and over again, hands thrust out and eyes wide open. Purple light sparked at her hands as the fire in the cauldron turned from brilliant orange to lilac. 

_With fire and light ___

____

A breeze carried the spark of the flame to the branches of Merlin’s tree.

_With sword and might ___

____

The tree caught fire, and Regina’s head began to throb.

_With fire and light, with sword and might. ___

___From bark to bone, from leaves to skin. From bark to bone, from leaves to skin, from bark to-. ____ _

______ _ _

The light began to envelop her arms, but the fire, the fire-

The fire had started to die down. From a bright flame enveloping the branches of the tree, it had retreated only to the leaves. The branches were left unmarked.

Regina could hear shouts in the background, but she couldn’t focus on them. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her arms began to ache, the velvet of her dress sticking to her skin and dragging her down with its weight. Heavy fatigue threatened the edge of her vision, black spots dotting the world. The light stopped glowing at her hand, the fire was almost out.

_With sword an- ___

____

Regina collapsed as a cold wind snuffed out the fire’s final spark and her world went dark.


	2. Destiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina wakes to find her magic completely drained and decides it will replenish over time. At the same time, the King and Queen of Camelot host a party celebrating their anniversary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two is here! It's not perfect, so constructive feedback is appreciated. Thanks to the first few kudos', and a special thanks to TheConscienceThing for being the first to comment :) Will be updated weekly.

Sunlight streamed in through the slits in the stone wall, beams falling perfectly on Regina’s closed eyes. She awoke with a groan, pressing a hand to her head to suppress the ache. She used her other hand to push herself up from her place in the middle of her bed, cotton, plain-white dress twisting and almost tearing as she did.

Cold feet met an icy, rough floor as the queen gracelessly stood from the bed. She padded over to the small bathroom on the opposite end of the room and changed into a light blue gown. Her muscles screamed, the dead weight of losing her magic dragging them down.

Her lips pinched tight to keep from crying out. Chest heavy and lungs tired, she could sleep for hours more, but who knew how long she had been out for. It could have been days.

The sudden shrill scrape of the door across the stone floor set Regina’s teeth on edge, and she craned her neck around the corner to find pale green eyes meet her own.

Emma’s eyes widened slightly.“You’re awake,” She remarked, looking Regina up and down. “And ready.”

Regina stood there silently for a moment, sleep still hanging from her like a curtain.“I woke up a few minutes ago,” Regina finally said. “How long was I out?”

“Only about a day. We were so worried,” Emma replied, brow furrowed. “Are you okay? You spent a lot of magic.”

Regina nodded. She raised her shaking hands and attempted to summon a fireball. A pathetic sputter of pale sparks was all she received. “It hasn’t completely come back yet.”

“Give it time, don’t worry,” Emma reassured, voice gentle and even. Her soft blonde curls wrapped around the sides of her face, framing a light smile and eyes shining with an emotion Regina could not easily place. The queen blinked, and it was gone. “The spell was fairly complex.”

Frustration suddenly flooded through Regina, and a pounding pulse began to beat in her head. “What happened? The magic should have been simple for me.” The spell wasn’t meant to be easy, but for Regina, someone who had practised magic for decades, it shouldn’t have drained her magic as it did. She ran a hand through her hair, wincing at the piercing muscle pain, like a knife was stabbing every limb of her body.

Emma didn’t say anything; instead, heading over to the bed. She sat at the edge and patted the spot next to her, a soundless question. Regina hesitated and then joined her, and the two women faced each other. There were inches between them. 

“Maybe it was my fault. Or maybe the ingredients we used, but it definitely wasn’t you.” Emma said softly, voice barely above a whisper. She tucked a strand of hair behind Regina’s ear, sending a shudder down her spine. “Don’t worry.”

The queen stared into the blonde’s eyes before opening her mouth to disagree, but the door creaked open again. Robin emerged in the doorway, balancing a tray in one hand and holding a book in the other. His mouth parted and formed a wide ‘O’ at the sight of the two of them. The women glanced at each other before Emma focused on the floor, and Regina straightened, hands resting in her lap.

“I didn’t expect you to be awake.” He said, placing the tray, which held a pitcher of water and a glass, and the book on the bed. “How are you feeling?”

Regina smiled and hugged him. “Sore, but awake.” He nodded into her dishevelled hair, fingers catching in the knots. Reaching for the glass, he took a sip of the water before handing it to her. She hadn’t realised how thirsty she was until the cool water slipped down her throat, momentarily dulling her headache, but only until the water glass was drained.

Regina could practically feel Emma’s eyes boring into her back as Robin held her in another hug. Every muscle in her body screamed at her to stretch out of it, but Regina leaned into his tight embrace. Emma looked out the window.

After a moment, Robin pulled away. 

“It’s getting late; we need to get ready.” He turned away, but Regina held him back.

“Ready for what?” She asked.

“The ball, to celebrate the King and Queen’s anniversary.” He declared dimly. “We only have an hour.”

She nodded and rushed out the door with him. Her head still spun, so she laced her hand together with his, squeezing hard and leaning on him slightly. 

Emma followed them out, heading in the opposite direction to her room at the end of the hallway.

…

It has been three weeks since Emma Swan took in the Darkness and sacrificed herself for the Greater Good. 

It has been three weeks since Emma Swan and her family took up residence in the majestic kingdom of Camelot. 

It has been three weeks of locked boxes, closed curtains and shattered glass.

Emma Swan struggled to breathe as heaving sobs rattled through her body. Tears poured down her pale cheeks, blonde hair sticking to her face from sweat. She knelt in the corner of her room, dress snagging on the rough concrete of the floor. Her hands grasped the edge of her bed frame, her knuckles turning white from the tension and fingernails cracking at the root.

Her mind was a raging mess of half-thoughts and unfinished sentences. It was filled with what-ifs and I-shouldn’t-have and it-would-have-been-so-much-easier.

Her eyes flicked to the glowing glass sphere under her bed. It was barely the size of her palm, radiating with the purple magic of a queen it held trapped inside—the magic she had taken the day before. 

_So close. We are so close._

_It’s your destiny, Dark One._

It has been three weeks since Emma Swan has told the truth. 

Someone knocked on the door, the sound like a blade cutting through the tense air. The Dark One blinked, and with barely a wave of her hand, the tears were cleared from her eyes and the redness removed from her cheeks. The bed was made, and her dress was smoothed, troubles seemingly wiped away. As easy as cleaning a window. Barely a thought and flowers weaved themselves into her hair, forming a crown of baby pink and sky blue roses, held together by a curved stem, thorns hidden under the petals. 

She peeled herself off the ground in one graceful movement, drifting over to the door with barely a sound, kicking the orb further under the bed as she did. Waiting for her was Killian, black leather and dull hook the same as always. It seemed an hour could go by quicker than she thought.

He grinned at her, teeth unnaturally white and smile wide. “You ready to go?”

She nodded loosely, forcing a sparkle of excitement into her eyes. He took her hand and led her down the hallway. Like she couldn’t walk on her own.

…

Robin handed Regina a glass of wine, the colour of reddened soil and wilting poppies. She took a small sip, leaning back against a marble pillar. The ballroom appeared to stretch on forever; chandeliers dripping with glass and wax seemed to take up half of it. Middlemist flowers, dainty, delicate things, lined the walls in stone vases. Jewels adorning the deep-coloured fabrics the nobles wore shone like a hundred stars against a clear sky, making the servants dressed in simple rags stand out much more than any other noble at the glamorous party.

Regina looked down at her glass. The wine was no exception to the slightly metallic and bitter taste that accompanied every drink in Camelot. She swirled the cup around, standing in silence next to Robin as the party continued along. 

“Do you think we’re spending too much time in Camelot?” Regina asked out of the blue. Remembering their original plan to find Merlin and save Emma, the thought had snuck up on her soon after she woke up. There had been no progress in the entire three weeks of staying in the kingdom. How long would they have to be there? 

“No, of course not. We are simply staying for as long as we need.” Robin replied, wrapping an arm around her. “There’s no need to worry; we have plenty of time to find a new spell.”

It wasn’t the spell that worried her. Every day Emma Swan lived with the darkness was a day closer to her acceptance of it, to her truly becoming the Dark One. As she watched Emma dance with Killian in the centre of the ballroom, a carefree smile on her face and eyes shining in the candlelight, Regina trusted Emma. She trusted in her strength. Emma was the Saviour after all.

But Regina knew the darkness, knew how it felt, how it tempted. Even if Emma didn’t want to be the Dark One, which of course she didn’t, Regina couldn’t imagine what she was going through. Did it whisper to her? Tell her to repeat the same mistakes Gold did, the same ones that lead him to push everyone he loved away? Regina shuddered at the thought.

Robin looked at her, “You okay?” She nodded and cleared her throat. She needed to think about something else. She was worrying over nothing. Emma would defeat the darkness, no matter how long it took. 

She held out her hand, eyebrow twitching upwards. “Care for a dance?” The archer beamed at her and bowed. The queen smiled back and curtseyed, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor.

...

Emma could name ten things she’d rather be doing than dancing at a party for a corrupt king and bewitched queen. Repairing the broken pieces of a sword sounded about right. So did burning down a tree.

_Why don’t you then?_

_It would be so, so easy._

_It’s your destiny, Dark One._

Emma ignored the voices and continued to dance. She danced until her feet were numb (they didn’t hurt, she couldn’t feel pain anymore), and the roses in her flower crown were beginning to wilt. She danced until the wax in the candles had almost fully melted, until the bottles of wine were drained. Until the last noble stumbled out the ballroom, and the clock struck midnight.

Only then did she kiss Killian goodnight and head up to her room. Only then did she let herself breathe. 

As the rest of the castle slept, the Dark One reached under her bed and pulled out Regina’s magic. She admired it for a moment, watched the purple mist swirl inside the murky glass sphere, tiny bolts of lighting occasionally reaching out of the mist and striking the inside of the glass.

She had been surprised at how easy it had all been. A spell of her own creation, with the apparent complexity level necessary for transformation magic, but really the next step in her--

_Destiny_

\--plan. Instead of turning the sorcerer back to a human, it had siphoned the magic of the spell-caster, Regina. With the combined magic of the Dark One, the power of the queen would serve Emma well.

There was now just one last thing left to do.


	3. Weakness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma's plan begins to click into place, and her family scramble to pick up the pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three is finally here! Hope to post more regularly from now on, and thanks so much to everyone that gave kudos :))

“Are you ready, Henry? Do you know what must be done?” A tall figure stood over Henry, midnight blue robes and dark shoulder-length hair swaying in the wind. His eyebrows furrowed together, face severe and voice full of urgency.

Henry gaped at the man. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about, but his mouth moves on its own. “I know, but we won’t have the strength to do it.”

The man shook his head and turned his back to Henry. It is then the author realises they are in the courtyard of Camelot. He’s lying in the grass, and a raging fire illuminates the night sky. The flames cover everything in Henry’s eye line. Orange light peers through every window in the castle, every flower and blade of grass alight. Sparks drift in the wind, seeming like bright stars falling from the heavens. Ash falls like snow along with them, coming to rest on the tips of leaves or swirling around in a hurricane with the fire. 

An empty, gaping space is left where Merlin’s tree usually stands. A hollow feeling begins to spread throughout Henry until he is left gasping for breath at the sight of it. He grimaces at the sudden pain, unexplained and irrational. The man looks at him, kneeling a couple of feet away.

“It will be alright, Henry.” There is pity in the man’s eyes, his voice gentle, contrasting with his imposing demeanour. “We will-”

But an ear-splitting groaning cuts him off. Henry’s eyes flick to the side, vision blurry from tears he didn’t know fell. A silhouette stands, back turned and facing the castle, in the distance, features dim in the brightness of the fire. Something shines at their side, a sword, with their hand resting on its hilt.

The man's expression falls as he, too, notices the silhouette. His lips tremble, and he can’t seem to meet Henry’s eyes, but his voice remains steady. “I’m sorry, Henry. Tell them I’m sorry.”

The author remains silent as the man and silhouette disappear in a puff of pepper-flaked grey smoke, and clouds descend on Camelot, rain blocking Henry’s eyesight until all he could see was the distant lighting and a spreading mist. 

…

The author wakes with a start, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. He’s breathing so heavily his chest hurts, clinging to the thin bedsheets like his life depends on it.

He tries to mull over what his dream means, but sleep drags him back down as his thoughts slip from him, as easy as a match catches alight. 

…

The Dark One appeared in Regina and Robin’s room with barely a wave of her hand, bare feet padding silently on the floor. 

The only sound was the muffled breathing from the bed, the occasional shifting of blankets or faint groan. There was no light, heavy, velvet curtains blocking the window, but the Dark One had no trouble seeing. Her amber eyes pierced the darkness with intense alertness, fingers twitching in search of her weakness. 

A faint magical signature pulsed from a large, wooden cabinet in the corner of the room. The Dark One suppressed a chuckle at the protection spells guarding the locks on the cabinet doors, and she dismissed them with an upward tilt of her head.

The cabinet was far from empty, full to the brim with dresses and shirts and belts, all piled into one big mess. At first glance, the pile seemed to be nothing more than an unorganised lot of clothes. 

The Dark One tilted her head in a weak resemblance of sympathy and pity. Regina had tried hard to conceal the dagger, tried hard enough that a magic-user even as powerful as Maleficent wouldn’t be able to detect it. The signature of the blade should have been much more potent, but the clothes made for a decent disguise. 

It was no match for a Dark One, though, especially not one with the power of a saviour as well.

A slight push and the clothes were moved to the side, a small, metal box revealed. It was a little bigger than her forearm, with no lock but firm protection spells hanging heavy in the surrounding air. The Dark One pushed open the lid, pale-grey sparks dancing around her fingertips, and revealed her prize.

The dagger was like she remembered it, exactly how the voices showed her during the darkest parts of the night. The curved blade with her jagged name gleamed, despite the lack of light.

The Dark One grasped onto the handle and swept out of the room.

...

By the time she was finished in Regina’s room, hues of orange and pink had begun to break the horizon. Small stars dotted the sky, growing less bright as the sun rose. She needed to hurry.

The King and Queen’s room took up almost half of the top floor in the castle, guarded by half a dozen metal-clad knights with sharp swords and fierce expressions. They could have been statues for how still they stood.

A few whispered words, and they fell to the ground in a deep sleep, making no sound as they hit the carpet.

The Dark One lit a small fire and held it in the palm of her hand, the flame illuminating the high-ceilinged room and the sleeping King and Queen in the luxurious bed. On the King’s bedside table, lay Excalibar.

Well, a piece of it. Its other piece grasped in her left hand.

She could just take the sword and be gone, leave Camelot and reunite the pieces outside, without the interference of anyone else. But Merlin’s last remaining mark on the realm was powerful, the barrier restricting anyone who wasn’t Arthur or Gwenivere from leaving without either of their presences. She had always had this theory, but had tested it when David and Arthur had gone to collect ingredients for her spell. The naive and corrupt King had confirmed her suspicions.

It didn’t make things much more difficult for her; it did make things difficult for Arthur, though. Guinevere could say, she wasn’t the one destined to repair the kingdom she needed to break.

A shiver ran up her spine, phantom tendrils creeping up her back. It whispered, it wants. It is getting impatient. 

_Now._

And so was she.

…

Snow, David, Killian, Henry, Robin and Regina were crowded around the Round Table, the Camelot knights with them. Everyone was either leaning on a pillar, someone else or the table, their eyes closed and hearts heavy.

It was maybe six in the morning, and shadows blanketed the castle, morning light crisp and a slight breeze shifting the trees.

Robin had awoken about an hour ago to the slight scuffling sound and had immediately shaken Regina awake. 

_Robin? Robin, what time is it?_

_Regina wake up. The dagger’s gone._

_That’s not possible. Go back to sleep._

_Regina, she’s taken it._

The queen pursed her lips, focusing all her energy to prevent the tears from falling. After Regina had checked the cabinet, the two had rushed to Snow and David’s room.

_I’m sorry, Mary Magaret. I thought I protected it._

_Are you sure it was her? Did either of you even see her take it? Killian said he wished her goodnight, she was meant to be sleeping._

_Who else could it have been?_

_We underestimated her Regina. We put too much pressure on her. We didn’t even give her the cuff, didn’t do anything to help!_

_No. We overestimated the power of the darkness. We can’t blame ourselves. It was Emma’s choice, and it’s up to us to get her back._

_We said that three weeks ago, and look where we are now._

“Regina? Regina?” 

The queen’s head snapped up, blinking rapidly, and her lips pursued. “What is it?” Robin was waving his hand in front of her face.

“What do you think? Should we go with Killian’s plan?” It was then Regina realised they were all looking at her, waiting for her decision. On what, she had no idea. 

“No.” She said on instinct, any idea of the pirates was not one she would agree to.

Killian glared at her from the opposite side of the room, fists clenched at the sides. “It’s a good plan. We aren’t doing Emma any good inside the castle walls; we should leave and find her with the dagger.”

Regina was glad she had said no. It really was a terrible idea. “We don’t even know if Emma has left Camelot yet, and using the dagger is not an option.” It had all happened so quickly. One day, they were enjoying themselves at a ball, and then a few hours later, and there was talk of taking away Emma’s free will altogether. Whatever happened, Regina would never do that to Emma, not until she had no other choice.

“So what do you propose we do, your majesty?” The pirate replied with a sneer. “Just wait in Camelot and wait for Emma to come back?”

“Killian, calm down.” Snow placed a tentative hand on his shoulder, but he pulled away.

“I’m serious. You stand there and shoot down the only idea we have without supplying any of your own!” His voice echoed on the walls, making the silence of the others appear only heavier.

Robin clenched his jaw next to Regina, raising his hand and opening his mouth, undoubtedly to defend her, but she spoke first. 

“I do have a plan, actually.” Robin looked back at her, confused. She smiled at him but kept her attention pinned on the pirate. “And I think it will work.”

Hook raised an eyebrow, “Go on then.”

Regina looked at everyone around the table individually as she spoke. “The pirate is partially right. We won’t do any good staying in these walls. But we shouldn’t leave without a solid plan that prepares for anything that might come our way.” 

She paused for a moment before continuing. “I’m sure Merlin has some squid ink stored away, so we should collect that. Then, some of us need to stay and focus on freeing the sorcerer in the first place.”

“The rest of us will leave the castle and track down Emma with a spell, use the squid ink if necessary, and then--” She cut herself off, all she had left to say already out of her mouth. But her plan was incomplete, she still wouldn’t know what to do if Emma, if Emma--

Something was wrong. Regina’s head had begun to spin again, differently from how it did when she had woke up the day before. It was more intense, vision blurring and a pounding that was so severe it felt like her skull would crack. Regina blinked rapidly, squeezing her eyes shut.

When she opened them, the headache stopped.

And they were no longer in Camelot.

…

It had been relatively easy. She didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of it before. 

She had realised as soon as she had exited the kingdom, forcing Arthur to let her out the barrier, bringing him with her so he could let her back in when the time came. She had watched from afar as the warning bells of Camelot rang through the air, birds squawking and leaving the surrounding trees in a tidal wave. She had watched as every candle in the castle was lit, and a slow panic began to sow itself within the weavings of Merlin’s magic.

And she had realised she would not get what she wanted when her family was still in the Enchanted Forest. No matter how much she wanted to keep Regina and Henry close, this was more important.

The Dark One stood in the middle of a clearing; the wind tickling her neck like a ghostly breath. The light of the rising sun illuminated her dark leather jacket and platinum blonde hair, dagger gleaming at her side and broken sword in her hand.

In her other hand, held the heart of a nearby villager, and he lay kneeling at her feet. He looked at her with alarmingly wide eyes, whimpering against the full power of the Dark One.

She cocked her head. “Did you not hear me? Cast my curse.”

He couldn’t disobey her any longer. With tears streaming down his bearded face, he crossed the clearing to wear his brother was tied up to a tree. 

“Now take his heart out, and crush it into the cauldron.” With a final whimper, the villager tore out his brother’s heart, the heart of whom he loves most, and stood over the bubbling pot. The veins in his hand almost burst as he visibly tried to defend against the Dark One controlling his heart, but it was no use.

From a brilliant red that represented life itself to a metallic dust slipping through his fingers, the Dark One looked on as the villager fulfilled what she could not do. The rest of the ingredients for the curse had been found in Merlin’s library, but it hadn’t been until today that she had seen a use for them.

Pepper-flaked grey smoke began to rise from the cauldron, growing and spreading and drifting with intent, heading towards Camelot with a rare swiftness. 

The villager’s cries were getting tedious. The Dark One crushed his heart in her hand, shards like glass falling to the ground.

“What have you done.” A statement more than a question.

Her eyes flicked towards the voice, only then remembering the soon-to-be-fallen King that lay there, rope wrapped tightly around his wrists and ankles. A look of pure terror displayed on his face, not unlike that of the villagers.

“I have done what none of them could do.” She replied, no arrogance in her tone, just fact.

The King shook his head. “You’re a monster.”

The Dark One stared at him, but with a distant gaze, as if she wasn’t really looking at him.

“Only on the inside.”


End file.
